City dwellers tour Qld country regions impacted by mining

Published: April 17, 2015

City folk depart Brisbane today to see for themselves the dreadful conditions country people are suffering because of mining developments in the Darling and Western Downs.

Tour organiser, Annette Hutchins from the Bridging the Divide group said landholders and communities were suffering “intolerable impositions” on their lives because of the industrialisation of their regions.

Ms Hutchins said people living on the Downs were at the “front-line of massive coal and coal seam gas expansion” of residential and farming lands.

“City dwellers need to see for themselves what has been thrust upon those in the country who have had no or little say in the serious impacts on their lifestyles, health and well-being,” she said.

“We want to show people living with the noise, dust and disruption day and night that we care about what they’re going through and will support them in their battle against the mining companies.”

Bridging the Divide is a Brisbane-based nonprofit group promoting grass-roots urban and rural communications and support. Eleven people have joined the bus tour that starts today and ends on Monday. People can still join the tour at various points.

The tour will include Cecil Plains, Miles, Wandoan, Hopelands and Acland where residents and community groups are trying to stop the expansion of New Hope’s Acland coal mine.

Shay Dougall, spokesperson for the Hopeland Community Sustainability Group said people in the Western Downs were living in the middle of a gasfield.

"People are so stressed and concerned for their health because of csg mining here that they are walking off their properties,” Mrs Dougall said. “The government has no proof this industry is safe and all developments should stop until we have such proof.”